ON THE REGULATION OP WAQES IN THE COTTON INDUSTRY. 315 



Chorley, and Preston lists are based on the Blackburn list, and relate to 

 a fine class of goods. The Hyde, Stockport, and Ashton lists have been 

 gradually superseded by the Blackburn list as regai-ds plain cloth. 

 The Nelson satin list and the Chorley fancy list have been combined into 

 the North and North-east Lancashire fancy list. The Oldham list 

 relates to velvets and heavy goods. 



The lists may therefore be divided into two classes : (1) those regu- 

 lating wages for weaving plain cloth, and (2) those regulating wages for 

 weaving fancy cloth. The Blackburn list may be taken as the type of 

 the former, and the North and North-east Lancashire as the type of the 

 latter class. 



I. The Blackburn List for Plain Cloth. 



The Blackburn list was framed in 1853, and was based on the average 

 wages paid by diiferent firms at that time. The leading principles of the 

 original list are still followed, but the application of the list has in the 

 course of years been worked out in detail. A distinction is drawn be- 

 tween the work of attending the loom whilst the cloth is being woven, 

 and work incident to weaving but not forming j^art of the normal duties 

 of the weaver. 



i. The Standard. 



The standard wages is 12-25cZ. for weaving 37^ yards of cloth, of from 

 36 to 41 inches wide, containing 16 threads or picks of weft in the ^ inch 

 in a loom of 40 inches wide, using a reed which contains 60 threads or 

 ends of twist in the inch, the materials used being 30's to 60's weft and 

 28's to 45's twist. 



Examining this standard it will be found that all the elements may be 

 brought under four heads : — 



(1) The fineness of the yarn or materials. 



(2) The closeness of the threads. 



(3) The width of the cloth. 



(4) The length of the cloth. 



No regard is had, as in the sliding scale, to the price the manufacturer 

 will receive for the cloth, except in so far as any one or all of these 

 elements affect the price that the cloth will realise. The price is taken 

 into account in another way, viz., by the operatives obtaining an addition 

 to, or the employers enforcing a reduction of, so much per cent, owing to 

 increased or lower prices being received. 



The following table shows the actual course of wages since the list 

 was adopted : — 



Aug. 17, 1853, list adopted. 



Aug. 19, 1853, advance on list . . . 10 per cent. 

 May 19, 1854, return to list. 



Mar. 10, 1860, advance . . . . ■ . 5 per cent. 

 Feb. 7, 1861, return to list. 

 April 15, 1867, list revised. 



May 6, 1869, reduction on list ... 5 per cent. 

 July 28, 1870, return to list. 



June 19, 1878, reduction (after strike) . . 10 per cent. 

 April 2, 1879, reduction . . . . 15 per cent. 

 1881, advance of 5 per cent., leaving wages 10 per cent, under list. 



There can be no doubt that the want of dependence between the wages 

 paid and the price realised is one disadvantage of the list as compared 



